After St. Joseph tech firm acquisition, Online Tech expands to KC
April 20, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
Ann Arbor-based Online Tech has acquired a St. Joseph, Mo. cloud firm, paving the way for its expansion into Kansas City.
The cloud security company announced Thursday that it purchased St. Joseph-based Echo Cloud, which provides colocation and cloud hosting services.
Echo Cloud CEO Bill Severn said he’s pleased to be joining the Online Tech team.
“I believe the values we hold match Online Tech’s very well, and I think this will be a great partnership moving forward,” Severn said in a release. “Online Tech has been a leader in compliance for many years,I’m pleased we can now offer HIPAA- or PCI-compliant data hosting to our existing customers here in Kansas City.”
Allowing for easier service management, Severn added that the companies will combine their existing services into Online Tech’s client platform. Wanting to tap the Kansas City market, Online Tech was interested in Echo Cloud for its ability to grow in the Midwest.
With offices in Michigan and Indiana, CEO of Online Tech CEO Yan Ness is excited to expand the firm’s product line.
“I’m very pleased with this deal,” Ness said in a release. “We really like the Kansas City market. There’s lots of demand that we think is underserved, and this is a great opportunity to provide companies in the area with our secure, compliant hybrid IT services.”
Severn, who declined to disclose the amount of the acquisition, will no longer serve as CEO for Echo Cloud, but will stay on the board of directors for Online Tech. The firm will maintain its offices in St. Joseph, Mo.

2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Make it Red February: Here are 20+ must-see additions to your KC closet (Super Bowl edition)
The haters might have counted the Kansas City Chiefs out of Super Bowl contention after a lackluster regular season, but these shirts from across the spectrum of KC makers are for the fans who relish the role of underdog, villain, road warrior, and, of course, Swiftie. Check out 20-plus new designs to intercept before the…
Taylor Swift’s Super Bowl ring: How a $14 gold loop on the world’s most famous popstar scored big for this KC maker
Emily Bordner couldn’t believe the once-in-a-lifetime response to her Travis Kelce-themed ring’s appearance on the finger of one of the world’s biggest celebrities. “I’m still in shock,” said Bordner, owner of EB and Co., after images of superstar Taylor Swift rocking her jewelry at the AFC Championship Game on Sunday exploded on social media and…
It’s showtime for KC makers as demand for Super Bowl gear hits the jackpot: Go BTS with Charlie Hustle
Even though the Kansas City Chiefs are headed to their fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years, Jordan Betts shared, fans are still snatching up merchandise like it’s the first time. “These aren’t even winning-the-Super Bowl shirts,” said Betts, communications manager for Kansas City-based Charlie Hustle, referencing the apparel brand’s newly debuted “Showtime in Vegas”…
